SETA · Project

Big Data Platform That Predicts and Optimizes City Traffic in Real Time

transportPilotedTRL 7

Imagine every bus, car, bike, and pedestrian in a big city leaving digital breadcrumbs — through phone signals, traffic cameras, and sensors. SETA built a system that collects all those breadcrumbs, makes sense of them in real time, and predicts where traffic jams, overcrowded buses, or dangerous spots will appear before they happen. Think of it like a weather forecast, but for city traffic. It was tested in three European cities with real data from real streets.

By the numbers

€5.8 billion

Annual cost of transport inefficiency to the UK economy

€583 million

Wasted annually on fuel due to congestion

€1.5 billion

Annual cost of hold-ups to business and freight vehicles

75%

Global population expected in metropolitan areas by 2050

European cities where the system was evaluated

The business problem

What needed solving

Traffic congestion and transport inefficiency in metropolitan areas costs billions — €5.8 billion annually in the UK alone, with €583 million wasted on fuel and €1.5 billion lost to freight and business vehicle hold-ups. Cities generate massive amounts of mobility data from sensors, cameras, and phones, but today's tools cannot process it fast enough or connect it across sources to actually predict and prevent congestion before it happens.

The solution

What was built

SETA built a complete urban mobility intelligence platform including: real-time demand and supply predictors with online learning capabilities, real-time traffic simulation models, visual analytics and decision support tools, and predictive models for non-vehicular transport (pedestrians, cyclists). All components went through two development cycles and were deployed in 3 European cities.

Audience

Who needs this

City transport authorities managing multi-modal networksMobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform operatorsUrban logistics and last-mile delivery companiesSmart city solution integrators building urban dashboardsTraffic management system vendors

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Urban Transport & Mobility Services

enterprise

Target: City transport authorities and mobility-as-a-service providers

If you are a transport authority or MaaS provider struggling with congestion that costs billions annually — SETA developed real-time demand and supply predictors plus simulation models that forecast traffic patterns across all transport modes. The system was deployed and tested in 3 European cities including Turin and Birmingham, processing data from WiFi, Bluetooth, cameras, and mobile devices to predict where bottlenecks will form.

Smart City Technology

mid-size

Target: Companies building urban data platforms or city dashboards

If you are a smart city solutions company looking for proven analytics to plug into your platform — SETA built visual analytics and decision support tools that fuse data from thousands of sensors, cameras, and connected devices into actionable mobility insights. The tools went through two development cycles with real city deployments, handling high-volume, multi-dimensional, heterogeneous data streams.

Logistics & Fleet Management

any

Target: Freight and delivery companies operating in metropolitan areas

If you are a logistics company losing money to urban congestion — hold-ups to business and freight vehicles cost €1.5 billion annually in the UK alone. SETA developed real-time simulation models and predictive routing tools tested across 3 cities that help anticipate traffic conditions and optimize delivery planning before drivers hit the road.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to deploy this system in our city or network?

The project data does not include specific licensing or deployment costs. The consortium included a commercialisation plan and described the economics of managing the SETA ecosystem in a metropolitan area, suggesting pricing models were developed. Contact the consortium for commercial terms.

Can this scale to a city of several million people?

Yes — the system was specifically designed for large metropolitan areas and was tested across 3 European cities. The architecture handles high-volume, high-velocity data from thousands of sensors, city cameras, connected cars, and millions of citizens' mobile devices simultaneously.

Who owns the IP and how can we license it?

The consortium of 15 partners across 5 countries shares the intellectual property. With 8 industry partners (including 6 SMEs) and a stated commercialisation plan, licensing pathways likely exist. The University of Sheffield coordinated the project and would be the first point of contact.

What data sources does the system actually need?

SETA ingests data from WiFi and Bluetooth sensors, optical sensors, city cameras, connected vehicles, and mobile devices. It was designed to fuse heterogeneous, cross-media, cross-sector data — meaning it can work with whatever sensor infrastructure a city already has rather than requiring a complete new installation.

Has this been tested with real traffic, not just simulations?

Yes. Case studies were deployed in Turin, Birmingham, and a third European city with real urban data. The deliverables show two full development cycles (V1 and V2), with V2 specifically incorporating findings from real-world evaluation and actual deployment modifications.

Does this handle pedestrians and cyclists, or just cars?

The project explicitly built models for non-vehicular transport, including predictive models of urban mobility tested against observed journeys collected across multiple settings. It covers the full spectrum of how people move in cities.

Is there regulatory compliance for the data collection?

Based on available project data, the system collects data from public sensors, WiFi, Bluetooth, and mobile devices. As an EU-funded project running during GDPR implementation, privacy considerations would have been addressed, but specific compliance documentation should be verified with the consortium.

Consortium

Who built it

The SETA consortium is well-balanced for commercialisation with 15 partners across 5 countries (Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, UK). Over half the partners (8 of 15) come from industry, including 6 SMEs — a strong signal that the technology was built with market needs in mind, not just academic interest. The University of Sheffield led the project, providing research credibility, while the industry-heavy team ensured practical deployment. Three real-city pilots (Turin, Birmingham, and a third city) demonstrate the solution works beyond the lab. The 53% industry ratio is above average for EU research projects and suggests the consortium has both the technical depth and commercial drive to bring this to market.

THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELDCoordinator · UK
MACHINE2LEARN BVparticipant · NL
AILLERON SAparticipant · PL
BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCILparticipant · UK
5T SRLthirdparty · IT
AIMSUN SLparticipant · ES
KNOWLEDGE NOW LIMITEDparticipant · UK
AYUNTAMIENTO DE SANTANDERparticipant · ES
AIZOON CONSULTING SRLparticipant · IT
COMUNE DI TORINOparticipant · IT
SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITYparticipant · UK
UNIVERSIDAD DE CANTABRIAparticipant · ES
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFTparticipant · NL

How to reach the team

The University of Sheffield coordinated this project. Their research commercialisation office or the principal investigator can be reached through the university's technology transfer team.

Order a report on this consortium See THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how SETA's mobility prediction technology could work in your city or fleet? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the right people in the consortium — contact us for an introduction.

Order a report on this topic More in Transport & Mobility